The process of using a chromatography instrument to test fluid samples is a well-known means of monitoring fluid quality. However, the currently used processes are labor-intensive, expensive, and generally provide an uneven data stream. In accordance with the current most common process, a technician physically extracts a fluid sample and carries the sample back to a lab that is equipped with the required equipment.
However, using a technician to extract samples is slow and labor-intensive as well as expensive, and introduces an additional possibility of error. Even the best and most reliable technicians are not (at least theoretically) as dependable and consistent as a programmable machine. While at least one automated system for testing samples has been publicly disclosed, the inventor of the system disclosed herein has perfected a method and apparatus for automatically drawing a sample into a portable ion chromatography instrument and preparing the sample for testing.